Category Archives: Flowers

Everyday Images #73

October Prompts – Everyday Images #73
I’m linking up with Kim from A Fresh Cup of Coffee for Everyday Images/October Prompts
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More photos, less words.
leaf or leaves
at home (monthly)
harvest
gold as in golden anniversary
doorway (quarterly)
on my plate (quarterly)
Something that is on my plate this time of year is clearing out the flower beds in front and back of our property.
We have company coming today from Southern California and are looking forward to time to catch up with each other. My computer time will be limited.

Late Color

A couple years ago we had a hanging plant with a variety of petunias and all of a sudden this year these popped up on the ground under the spot where the plant was hanging. Fun.

Some real late comers popped up this past week, too, on plants we thought were done producing blooms.

We’ve had crisp Fall weather in the morning and summer temps in the afternoon.

Looks like we’ll have nice weather for the Cider Festival tomorrow.

Hope all is well in your corner of the world.

Wrapping Last Week Up

At soccer camp last week we had intermittent showers and winds and a beautiful rainbow!

It was a very full week with soccer camp in the evening and golf camp in the morning, not to mention Irish Dance practice, too!

Our road is being asphalted from highway 395 all the way to highway 25. That’s about 20 miles worth. There are times where we have to wait at our driveway for a pilot car to let us out. We have to plan our trips wisely and also leave plenty of time in advance if we have an appointment. The road is looking real nice and it will be great when it is all done.

We have been enjoying my brother and his son being with us since Saturday afternoon. I will have lots of posts to share soon.

I’ll leave you with some flowers that are blooming in our planters right now.

Enjoy the final days of July!

Catch Up Saturday

We had a nice Independence Day and we enjoyed texts with photos from our loved ones here in Washington, in California and in Texas. I’ll share some of those on Monday.

The rest of these photos are catch ups from the past couple of weeks.

These little Pansies (Johnny Jump Ups) pop up all over our acreage. I suppose you could call them wild.

We had a de-constructed Chicken Pot Pie for a meal. It is a simpler way to enjoy a nice crisp crust and the filling. When we buy a Costco chicken I take the meat off the bones immediately and freeze portions in quart size freezer bags for quick meals later.

This buck caught me looking at him.

A couple Wednesdays ago, Greg helped Dan butcher the last two of the three sheep Dan bought for meat. It was an all day project!

Josh and Laura were proud to represent the colors they stand behind at a soccer game.

Didn’t want to forget the traditional photo for our Colville kids’ anniversary that they take each year and added two more from their getaway at the end of June. They enjoyed a meal at Baba’s (no relation to this Baba 🙂 ).

Our daughter attended a Medieval Castle wedding and shared some photos. The wedding was during work hours so Katie and her friend attended without their husbands (they were able to get time off from their jobs). They enjoyed their time and all the medieval touches.

Our beautiful daughter.

Speaking of castles, this is one of the latest puzzles I completed and it is going straight to the garage sale pile. I love the result but the pieces were all cut into shapes that were too varied and too brain teasing. I bought it for $3.99 at Goodwill and was happy that there were no missing pieces. Hooray.

The lavender plants are in their glory and the fragrance can’t be beat.

Happy Saturday everyone. The weird thing is that every day this week felt like a Saturday to me.

Colors of Summer

Bell Flowers

Purple Campanula

July is coming in hot! Today is predicted to be the hottest day this week, 97F. How are things in your corner of the world?

Happy Canada Day to our neighbors in the North! 

Reminders from our Sunday sermon: Fight the good fight, the good spiritual fight. Don’t fight the wrong fight.  Salvation is by grace alone, by faith alone, through Christ alone. Stay faithful to the Gospel. Rest on the Gospel not your good works. We are not saved by our good behavior or good works. Bad doctrine and bad behavior go together. Don’t violate your conscience. Your faith and your conscience are not separable.

I was saved when God called me and I asked forgiveness for my sins and put my faith on the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Son of God, who died on the cross for my sins, rose from the dead, and is my Lord and Savior. He paid the penalty I could not pay and I am eternally grateful.

Hello Summer Views and News

We’ve had a mix of blue skies and rain showers for the beginning of summer. It has been a banner year for our clematis varieties.

The yellow day lilies are always the first of the lilies to bloom.

Addy and JJ had fun at Golf Camp. We visited the camp on Wednesday held at the Chewelah Golf and Country Club.

On Thursday they were able to play nine holes of golf.

On the other side of the mountains, the Seattle Sounders had tournament games with international teams and Josh and Laura were able to attend.

Our kids had uninvited visitors on their mountain. The farmer/rancher was called to lead this girl back home…but she must have told her friends that the grass was greener here because later in the day this crew arrived. There are fencing repairs needed by the owner of these cows.

We finally decided to give this Mexican restaurant a try since the ownership and management changed. We gave it a thumbs up. For our small town with limited restaurants it’s interesting that we have three Mexican Restaurants.

We are still enjoying the many shades of green with pops of color on our property.

We had some rain on Saturday and on Sunday in the late afternoon we had thunderstorms and a real good soak.

This Monday morning would be a great time to do some weeding since the soil is very wet and softer than usual.

Quote of the week:

“Never start with your problems. Never! Never start with earth; never start with men. Always start in heaven; always start with God.”
(Martin Lloyd-Jones, Seeking the Face of God: Nine Reflections on the Psalms)
Psalm 71:1 In you, O LORD, do I take refuge…

Sorry to See Spring Go Hodgepodge

Last week it was time for the white peonies. This week it is time for the pink peonies and they are my favorites!

Wednesday Hodgepodge with thanks to Jo From This Side of the Pond.

1. Summer officially begins this week (in the northern hemisphere)…what was your favorite thing to do in the summer when you were a kid?

We grew up in Southern California so a favorite was going to the beach. Newport Beach in California was where extended family gathered. I remember scouring the beach for soda bottles and turning them in for the deposit at a store and buying a treat, ice cream or a candy bar.

What do you like most about summer now? 

Visits from family. Watching the Grands at their summer sports.

First golf, then swimming and lastly soccer.

2.  Something you’ll celebrate this summer? 

The 4th of July is the traditional day we celebrate in the summer. I love to pull out my bins filled with red, white and blue decor starting in June.

3. Summer tastes like? Smells like? Sounds like?

Taste~Watermelon

Smell~Lavender

Sounds~Mosquitoes buzzing around my head

4. June 18th is National Splurge Day…what’s the last thing you splurged on? 

My old riding mower died and we bought this new beauty.

What might you splurge on today? 

Not today but tomorrow I’m splurging on a massage.

5. Share a favorite summer quote, saying, song lyric, or meme. 

When I was younger it would be ‘Schools out for the summer’.

These days it will be ‘Where’s the shade?’

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

By next week the Peonies will have wilted away so here are some more for today.

Thank you for visiting today!

Pend Oreille County Part 2

We were so surprised at the lack of vehicles and people on our little road trip to our neighboring county. We took this drive on Thursday June 12th, 2025. After our breakfast and shopping in Metaline Falls we continued North on Highway 31.

It didn’t take us long to get to our next stop. We took a left turn off of Highway 31 onto National Development Road 3165, also called East Side Road. Crescent Lake was a good marker for the road and guaranteed you couldn’t miss it.

It was a short drive to the parking area for Boundary Dam Vista House. Again we were pleasantly surprised with the nice restroom facilities and parking and well maintained trail to an overlook.

There was an indoor viewing house with windows all around and some great information posted. We were surprised to learn that Seattle City Light owns and operates the dam that is 390 miles from the city of Seattle. What surprised us even more is the fact that the electrical current leaves Boundary Powerhouse crosses Washington State and reaches Seattle IN LESS THAN A SECOND!

We took some photos of the dam from the Vista House before we walked the 750 steps to an outdoor overlook.

Looking north towards Canada.

This was another sign inside the Vista House. I’m glad we planned and left the house instead of just wishing on this day. One more display caught our eye. It was hard to photo with the glare but I took it anyway.

Great information and nice historical tribute.

Looking south…

We exited the Vista House that we had all to ourselves and started our 750 foot walk to the outdoor overlook.

Looking South on the Pend Oreille River.

Looking North to Canada.

Back up the 750 Feet to the parking lot. We enjoyed a few wildflowers.

We were inspired to take this trip because of the next photos our son sent when he had to work out in this area for several hours. His photos were taken in May with different cloud cover.

I’m saving our next stop for another post.

Thanks for coming along.

A Seasoned Hodgepodge

I’m adding some blooms to sweeten things up.

Welcome back to another Wednesday Hodgepodge hosted by Jo From This Side of the Pond.

1. June 10th is National Herbs and Spices Day. Besides salt and pepper what herb or spice container do you reach for most often?

We like Lawry’s Seasoned salt.

Is there a spice you truly dislike? No

What’s a recent dish you made that called for more than salt and pepper?  

Chili calls for chili powder and cumin and we use those spices often.

2.  It’s been said ‘variety is the spice of life’…in what way is this true for you? Elaborate. 

I enjoy variety but there is a lot to say for the good ole familiar and a regular schedule, too.

3. What’s something in your life that adds ‘spice’ (excitement, intensity) even if also comes with challenge or unpredictability? 

Traveling adds lots of spice.

Grandchildren have added so much spice to our lives. It’s a joy to be able to see them at each new stage of life. It’s a challenge to keep up the older we get.

Some of the spice we enjoy right now is watching Addy with her Irish dance troupe.

And we love to see JJ with his new skills at Taekwondo.

 

4. If you could instantly master one skill or hobby, what would it be and why?

It would be amazing to be able to master playing piano with the ability to read music instantly.

5. We’re halfway through the year…what’s one book, movie, or activity you’ve loved this year that you’d recommend to others? 

We’ve enjoyed some series on Britbox and Acorn like Ludwig, Death Valley, Harry Wild, Mr. & Mrs. Murder, The Brokenwood Mysteries and our fallback, Midsomer Murders.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Right now on our property the white and pink peonies are blooming and I’m having a hard time keeping up with them. It’s a wonderful problem to have.

I love the white but the pink are my favorite.

Hope to get around soon to see your spicy posts!

Hello June…

…and a look back at May blooms.

The Red Peonies are at full bloom and we are still waiting on the white and pink to open up.

My camera does not get the true color of this clematis.

A bumble bee was enjoying this columbine.

We are enjoying the variety of color on our property right now.

Our weekend was a bit of this and that, weeding, watering, and organizing some shelves in the Garage. On Saturday we had our cars washed by the teens from church who are raising money for camp. After church on Sunday we made an impromptu trip to Spokane for a meal and some shopping.

We’re welcoming June here with sunshine and warm temperatures.